Published: June 18, 2008 12:30 pm         

Former Lady Lions get to scholar games

KINGSTON, RI — The 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games welcomes former Grapevine High School and North Central Texas College tennis player Danielle Cochran as a Scholar-Athlete Ambassador this summer,

The tennis program is hailed by past participants, sponsors and the news media as one of the finest youth sports/cultural events in the world.

The 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games, organized and hosted by The Institute for International Sport, will feature an extraordinary assembly of the nation’s best and brightest athletes and artists who will gather for week-long competitions and educational symposia, June 28 to July 5.

The events will be held on the campus of the University of Rhode Island.

In addition to USSAG participants from all over the nation, Cochran will represent Texas with 78 other participants from around the state, including Madison Gravens, an inbound senior at Colleyville Heritage HS, who will be competing in the vocal and choir events at the US Games.

Cochran was accepted into the Games due to her demonstrated academic and athletic achievements. She is a former player of the North Central Texas College Lady Lions women's tennis team who wrapped up their 2008 spring season with a sixth place finish.

The Lady Lions also had two individual championship titles in the NJCAA Nationals in Tucson, Az.

Under the coaching direction of NCTC’s head tennis coach, Shane Zimmerman, Cochran is ranked No. 61 in the nation for junior college players by the NJCAA and International Tennis Association.

She has received several awards in academics and tennis, including the NCTC President’s and Dean’s Honor Awards. Cochran was also inducted as a lifetime member of the National Society of Success and Leadership and Psi Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society for maintaining a 4.0 her first semester and an overall 3.80 GPA her first year.

Zimmerman said Cochran truly exemplifies the status of a USSAG Scholar-Athlete Ambassador by continuing to reach out in her surrounding communities with her volunteer work and monitoring programs this summer before leaving to join the championship tennis team and study biology at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene this fall. Currently, she is coaching at Southlake Tennis Center and Newcomb’s Tennis Ranch.

“Participating in the United States Scholar-Athlete Games is a great opportunity,” she said.

“ Students who are both competitive athletes and successful scholars come together for the purpose of leadership, world peace and the environment. I am very thankful and excited to be a part of this experience this summer. I am also looking forward to being a part of the World Peace Summit in 2011.”

The 2008 U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games is one of the signature events of the Institute of International Sport, founded in 1986 by Dan Doyle, Executive Director.

The 2008 U.S. Games is the third such national event in the Institute’s 21-year-old history and is an important prelude to the 2011 World Scholar-Athlete Games, and the inaugural 2011 World Youth Peace Summit that will reunite nearly 18,000 USSAG alumni to celebrate the Institute’s 25th anniversary.

Doyle said the U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games are unique in that they combine athletic, cultural and education activities at one site, at one time, with the overarching goal of helping the young participants ages 15 to 19 learn about the principles of good sportsmanship and ethics, develop leadership skills, and gain greater understanding and respect for multiple cultures and people.

The Institute for International Sport encourages all high school principles, athletic directors, department heads, guidance counselors and coaches to nominate high caliber students who have demonstrated exemplary academic, athletic, artistic and cultural achievements -- by logging onto the Institute’s web site, HYPERLINK "http://www.internationalsport.com/ussag" www.internationalsport.com/ussag and clicking the Nominators’ tab. Additionally, a complete, downloadable application is also available that can be faxed to the Institute at (401) 874-4334. Anyone needing additional information about the nomination and review process is invited to call Lauren Hylton at (401) 874-2330 or HYPERLINK "mailto:lehylton@internationalsport.com" lehylton@internationalsport.com